


I Want Every Other Freckle

by fishshelll



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Aged-Up Gon Freecs, Aged-Up Killua Zoldyck, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe-Strip Mall AU, Doctor Leorio Paladiknight, F/M, Falling In Love, Family Dynamics, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, GNC Kalluto, Happy Ending, Humor, M/M, Minor Other Characters - Freeform, Multi, Mutual Pining, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Slow Burn, Trans Alluka Zoldyck, Trans Kurapika, Unresolved Romantic Tension, dance instructor kurapika, gamestop killua, gon has adhd, gon is poc, i'd like to formally apologize, illumi and hisoka are dating we think, jamba juice gon basically, killua is head over heels for an oblivious gon, kurapika was a distinguished gay until leorio, let me have this, strip mall au, tags to be added as i remember, the other zoldycks will show up i swear
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:14:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28163760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fishshelll/pseuds/fishshelll
Summary: Kurapika barely had time to recover from Leorio’s sunshine-filled laugh before he felt his stomach flip again. What Kurapika wanted to say was "I’m really glad you’re here and also, for some reason, I can’t look at you without feeling like I’m going to die, so I’m not sure what that’s about. It could be because you’re freakishly attractive and also have the most beautiful laugh I’ve ever heard."But he didn’t say any of that.(alternatively: strip mall slow burn au)
Relationships: Gon Freecs & Killua Zoldyck, Gon Freecs/Killua Zoldyck, Hisoka & Illumi Zoldyck, Hisoka/Illumi Zoldyck, Kurapika & Leorio Paladiknight, Kurapika/Leorio Paladiknight
Comments: 6
Kudos: 23





	I Want Every Other Freckle

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Thanks for dropping by, I really hope you enjoy this stupid little au. I love strip malls and I was basically raised in them, so this is highly self-indulgent. The title is based off that alt-j song "Every Other Freckle," I highly recommend giving it a listen. Thanks again!

Summers in Yorknew were nearly unbearable. The heat itself was manageable. It was the humidity that made life miserable. The air wasn’t just hot, it was thick and heavy. The heat stuck to you like clothes after a hot shower. Without air conditioning or a cool drink, you’d be a dead man.

Unfortunately, Hunter’s Plaza was currently without air conditioning during the hottest month of the year. The entire block has been out for over a week and the repairmen couldn’t come and fix it until the end of next week.

Which left the strip mall tenants despairing, hot, and certainly sweaty. They took solace at Whale Island’s Juice and Coffee, the oldest little spot on the strip. It was owned by Mito Freecss, but she was always working her second job in the city, leaving her nephew, Gon Freecss, to run the store. Whale Island had the best assortment of fruity drinks, iced coffee, and popsicles in all of Yorknew, and the other tenants were grateful for the free drinks Gon happily supplied them.

To the left of Whale Island, situated right in the corner of the strip mall, was Emperor Dance and Gymnastics, a studio run by Kurapika Kurta. It was open 6 days a week and the small blonde instructor ran a tight ship. On the other side of the juice store was a GameStop. At a glance, you would think this GameStop had been abandoned by corporate. It was old, and the games there were mostly retro. There were only 3 workers that rotated shifts, but the only full-time employee was a teen named Killua Zoldyck. He almost never took a day off but could be found taking his breaks at the high-top bar at Whale Island.

The store next to GameStop was empty, as was the one next to Kurapika’s dance studio, but on the very end was a nail salon owned by Hisoka Morow, a strange man with stranger habits. He mostly kept to himself but would occasionally peep his head into the other stores. He gave Kurapika and Killua strange vibes, but Gon never seemed to mind him.

Only a few years ago, the strip mall used to be completely full and there wasn’t a single empty store in sight. There was a liquor store, a hair salon, a CBD shop, and an Italian restaurant, but over the years, as strip malls became a thing of the past, the Hunter Plaza slowly became more and more of a ghost town. Now, only 4 remained. They did decent business, enough to keep them afloat, but they weren’t booming. Gon, Killua, Kurapika, and Hisoka were content with life in the plaza. They’d all arrive around 8 a.m. and then all leave together around 11 p.m.

Until one day, their quiet life was disrupted by a new tenant moving in next to Kurapika’s studio.

It was still early in the day and everyone had gathered in Whale Island for cold drinks to try and beat the insufferable heatwave. Gon had taken a break from sorting inventory and made himself an orange smoothie, Killua, also on break, sat next to him with a blueberry slushie. Kurapika had finished his morning class and was sitting in the corner reading a book while nursing a caramel iced coffee. Hisoka even joined them on this exceptionally hot Friday, sitting on the high top bar, a melting watermelon popsicle in his hand. The doors and windows were open and the only noises that could be heard were the buzzing of cicadas and the quiet beeping of Gon and Killua’s Nintendo game.

Their peace was disturbed by a very large van pulling into the parking lot, hitting the curb rather violently, and then parking with a terrible hiss. All 4 of the shopkeepers looked up from their respective tasks, Gon and Killua with curiosity, Hisoka with amusement, and Kurapika with sheer disgust. They all looked at each other and then back at the van simultaneously.

“A customer?” Gon asked, hope filling his voice.

Hisoka laughed, one short sharp syllable. “I doubt it.”

The group didn’t move, they just watched the van. Then, after a few moments, the door opened and a figure got out of the car. It was a tall man, and his shoulders seemed to go on for miles underneath his blue suit. He ran a hand through his dark hair, making it stick up even more than it already was. He turned around and surveyed the strip mall. It was hard to see his face from all the way across the parking lot, but he looked handsome enough. He caught sight of the 4 store tenants sitting in the juice shop and gave a wave.

“Hey!” He called loudly, his voice ringing out and echoing against the strip mall walls.

Gon was the first to snap out of the trance the other 3 seemed to be in. He slid out of his seat and went to the doorway, waving back to the man. “Hey! What can we help you with?”

The man in the blue suit strode over the juice shop, his hands sliding into his pockets. “Uh yeah…” He took a piece of paper out of his pocket and unfolded it as he stood in front of Gon. Upon further inspection, Kurapika realized the man was extremely good looking. Dear lord above, Kurapika didn’t realize it was possible for someone to be that good looking. He was impossibly tall, he had several inches on a 6-foot Killua, who was now standing right next to Gon. His face was all angles and sloping lines, his nose, his jaw, his cheekbones. He had the shadow of a scruff on his jaw and his hair was gelled up off his forehead. He was the literal definition of tall, dark, and handsome.

Kurapika felt his stomach flip once and quickly set his coffee down. Perhaps he had drank too much too quickly? Or maybe Gon had forgotten to put soy milk in his coffee? He wasn’t sure but he felt like he was going to faint if he looked at the stranger again. He caught the eye of Hisoka who gave him a knowing look like he knew something Kurapika didn’t. Kurapika quickly looked away.

“Do y’all know where I can find unit 17B? Supposed to be moving my stuff in today but no one really gave me any information on this joint…” He trailed off with a friendly smile, scratching his head sheepishly. He spoke with a slight drawl that reminded Kurapika of warm honey and summer. He certainly wasn’t from around here.

“17B is the one next to me,” Kurapika spoke up immediately as if the man would know which store was his. The man looked away from Gon and met Kurapika’s gaze, warm hazel eyes staring into his own cold gray ones. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Right next to the dance studio, I mean.”

The man’s gaze flicked down quickly and back up to meet his eyes and Kurapika couldn’t decide if he wanted to scowl or blush. “Right. Thanks, I appreciate it.”

He took a step back, out of the juice shop, but lingered for a moment more, as if he still had something to say. Gon took advantage of his hesitation and bounced into action, fully intending to make the newcomer part of their crew, whether he wanted that or not.

“I’m Gon and I work here! We have juice and coffee and stuff, and it’s really good!” He bounced from foot to foot and though Kurapika couldn’t see Gon’s face, he knew he was giving the man his signature toothy grin. Gon turned his head as if to prompt Killua and the others to speak.

Killua puffed out his chest, a habit that Kurapika noticed the boy did when he was trying to make a good impression. “I’m Killua, I work at the GameStop a few doors down.”

Hisoka piped up next, still casually perched on top of the bar with a cat-like grin on his face. “Hisoka. I’m all the way down at the end.” He pointed a long nail in the direction of his beauty salon.

All attention was focused on Kurapika next. “Kurapika. I run the dance studio,” He offered shortly, folding his hands over his book on the table.

The man nodded, taking in his new companions with that same damn smile that made Kurapika’s head spin. What was wrong with him? He really needed to get it together today. It was probably the heat. He took another sip of his iced coffee to cool down.

“I’m Leorio Paradinight! Well….Doctor Paradinight I guess would be more accurate,” He gave a soft chuckle like he almost couldn’t believe his title. “I’m opening a clinic in 17B. Should be open in the coming week or so, if all goes well.”

“You’re a doctor?” Gon asked excitedly.

Leorio laughed and matched Gon’s energy. “Yeah! Just graduated a few years ago and finally saved up enough to open my own practice.”

Kurapika didn’t miss the gleam in Leorio’s eye when he talked about having his own practice. He almost opened his mouth to ask more about Leorio’s office, but Gon beat him to the chase. “We can help you move in! It’s so boring around here, anyway.” He glanced back at the group to get support.

Hisoka slid off the counter and glided around Gon, Killua, and Leorio, a wall of perfume hitting Kurapika as Hisoka passed him. “I have appointments this afternoon, but you boys have fun.”

“I can help,” Killua offered, earning a beam from Gon which made Killua flush red in return.

Kurapika stood up, tucking his book under his arm and throwing away his iced coffee cup in the nearby trash can. “I have classes all day,” He ducked his head in an apology and made his way out of the juice shop, the hot summer air instantly weighing him down. “It was nice to meet you, Doctor,” He commented over his shoulder.

Inside his dance studio, the heat wasn’t much better. At least Whale Island had a dozen or so fans set up. Kurapika was making 2 box fans set on high and the windows and doors to his studio open work. There wasn’t much of a cool breeze, but it kept the air circulating. Kurapika went to the bar and began his stretches, but his mind kept wandering back to the new resident Doctor. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind as he went over his next class’s routine. He figured having a doctor so close to the studio would be good. That way, if a dancer got hurt or needed medical attention, all they would have to do is run next door. He made a mental note to mention this to Leorio.

He glanced out of the studio window, watching Gon, Killua, and the doctor unload the U-Haul. He refilled the water gallon and right around noon, his elementary ballet class filed in and practice began. After elementary ballet, Kurapika immediately had an intermediate tap, and then an intermediate ballet class. He loved busy days, they kept him on his feet and he didn’t have to focus on anything else besides dancing.

By the time all his classes were done, his black tank top clung to his back with sweat and the sun was setting. He cleaned the studio, wiping down the bars, organizing the mats, and sweeping the floors before locking up and taking his laptop and notebook to the bench right outside the studio. The evening breeze felt nice on his face and he was able to check his email and get some work done in peace.

Hisoka still had one or two clients getting their nails done, GameStop was empty, but Kurapika could make out Killua’s head of shock-white hair behind the counter. Gon was cleaning the juice bar before closing time, and Kurapika couldn’t see inside 17B, but he saw the light coming from the office and Doctor Paradinight’s shadow on the sidewalk.

Kurapika liked quiet nights like these. If you had told him 5 years ago that the most comforting feeling would be doing paperwork while sitting on a rusting bench in a forgotten strip mall, he would have laughed in your face. He used to have larger dreams than all this, but it seemed like a forgotten memory now. And besides, Kurapika couldn’t complain. He had a job he enjoyed, a roof over his head, and free iced coffee whenever he wanted.

Footsteps approaching snapped him out of his thoughts. They stopped right beside him and Kurapika looked up from his laptop. Leorio stood in front of him, the setting sun casting orange shadows over his tan skin. He had shed his blue coat and rolled the sleeves of his dress shirt up, exposing his solid forearms. Kurapika’s stomach flipped again and his brain short-circuited for a solid 5 seconds. He mentally chided himself after a moment. _What was wrong with him today? Why couldn’t he focus around him? It had to be nerves, meeting new people could be nerve-wracking sometimes for him_.

Kurapika forced himself to look away from the doctor’s forearms, meeting his eyes. “Hello, Doctor.” Leorio grinned, it was a lopsided grin that stretched across his face and made him look younger. “Hey. How’s it going?”

Kurapika nodded in response. “Fine. How is moving in going?” He asked politely, looking back down at his email. He had been emailing venues to see if they’d be willing to let him use their space for recitals at the end of the summer. So far he hadn't heard back from anyone, but he hadn't lost hope. He was startled when the old bench shifted beside him and was even more startled to see Leorio sitting beside him. He was stretched out, his long legs seemingly endless and his shoulders taking up more than half of the bench. Kurapika scooted over reluctantly, trying to put some distance between them so they weren’t sitting on top of each other.

“It’s goin’ good. The boys helped a lot, don’t know what I would’ve done without them. Probably gonna be able to open up by next week,” He answered, scratching the scruff at his jaw and looking out at the parking lot. Kurapika’s eyes followed his movements, taking in his sharp jaw, dark hairline, and straight nose. He caught himself staring and looked away quickly, trying to control his heart rate, which had increased suddenly.

“That is surprising, I figured with the boys’ help you would be set back a month, at least,” Kurapika commented dryly.

The sound that came out of Leorio’s mouth nearly gave Kurapika a full-fledged heart attack. His laugh was unlike anything Kurapika had ever heard before and it was like hearing sunshine for the first time. Gon’s laugh was boyish and loud, and Killua’s was usually under his breath, and Hisoka’s was downright chilling, but Leorio’s was...how do you even describe a sound that makes your heart stick in your throat? It was just like his stupid drawl, warm and honeyed and Kurapika wanted to hear it on repeat for the rest of his life. What Kurapika said wasn’t even that funny or clever, and yet he was so starstruck that Kurapika let out a single breathy laugh.

“I really like it here already. You all seem like such nice people. I’m glad I got to meet you and the others. I was worried that this place would either be abandoned or filled with terrifying thugs,” Leorio confessed, looking at Kurapika with those warm eyes, and Kurapika barely had time to recover from Leorio’s sunshine-filled laugh before he felt his stomach flip again.

What Kurapika wanted to say was, _I_ _’m really glad you’re here, and also, for some reason, I can’t look at you without feeling like I’m going to die, so I’m not sure what that’s about. It could be because you’re freakishly attractive and also have the most beautiful laugh I’ve ever heard._ But he didn’t say any of that. What he actually did was close his laptop with a loud snap and get up quickly, as if he had touched something burning hot.

“Well. It was nice meeting you, Doctor. I will see you tomorrow.” He nodded once, slinging his messenger back over his shoulder after stuffing his laptop inside it and turning on his heel. He could feel Leorio staring at him with a surprised expression on his face, but he refused to turn around. He unlocked his red Mini Cooper and threw his bag in the passenger seat before getting in and starting the car. A thousand thoughts raced through his mind as he pulled out of the Hunter’s Plaza parking lot, but the only one he could pin down was: _Oh fuck._

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks again for reading! If you enjoyed this chapter, please feel free to leave kudos, comments, etc, and subscribe for future updates! 
> 
> Also, feel free to hang out with me on tumblr @fishshell or on twitter @gray_birdy
> 
> Mwah!! Love u!


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